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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24440059">Brother.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/luinil80/pseuds/luinil80'>luinil80</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>CC-2224 Cody is stressed, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Hurt/Comfort, Kix is a Good Bro, Other, cody is the big brother, kix is a little shit, rex is sick</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:13:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24440059</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/luinil80/pseuds/luinil80</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>- After that disastrous campaign, after that fatal mistake, everyone suffered from nightmares. He was the one who suffered the most, not that he had told anything to anyone, not even to Cody, although he was probably the only one who would better understand right now. Something inside him broke forever, he wasn't the same. And maybe he never would have been.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-2224 | Cody &amp; CT-7567 | Rex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Brother.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this was a request for my 500 celebration on Tumblr. First time writing a hurt/comfort. Hope i did it right.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><em>If I was dying on my knees</em></li>
<li><em>You would be the one to rescue me</em></li>
<li><em>And if you were drowned at sea</em></li>
<li><em>I'd give you my lungs so you could breathe</em></li>
</ul>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>“No!”</p>
<p>
  <em> Krell, Hardcase, all those men, Waxer... Not again, I'm not losing you all again, not again... Umbara again...not again, no! </em>
</p>
<p>Rex woke up screaming, drenched in sweat, his eyes wide open with fear... all images of Umbara's failure still in his head.</p>
<p>It was a nightmare, all those memories in his head again, memories of many brothers being killed, memories of his men who trusted him with their lives dying for an idiotic reason.</p>
<p><em> Just a nightmare, just a nightmare... </em>he whispered trying to calm down, his heart still beating fast and his breathing irregular.</p>
<p><em> I need to calm down </em> easier said than done, he repeated quietly to himself.</p>
<p>It was far too early to get out of bed. But he was already awake and terrified that he would sleep again, afraid that the same nightmare might haunt him again or worse, that he would never wake up again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After that disastrous campaign, after that fatal mistake, everyone suffered from nightmares. He was the one who suffered the most, not that he had told anything to anyone, not even to Cody, although he was probably the only one who would better understand right now. Something inside him broke forever, he wasn't the same. And maybe he never would have been.</p>
<p>He started to feel sick a few days later, but he didn't care. He blamed the lack of sleep and intense working hours, after all the war never rested, so why should he do that?</p>
<p>He didn't even care when he started to have a slight fever, it was all due to stress, he thought anew. Even though initially, Kix advised him that he should have stopped and started taking care of himself, he didn't listen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I am the Captain, I have duties“ He replied, almost annoyed, only to be reprimanded by the latter.</p>
<p>“You can't fulfill your duties if you die, <em> captain </em>” That was the harsh answer the medic gave him.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, he could not hold him against his will, so he had to let him go.</p>
<p>As expected, he started to feel worse the night before. Dizziness, excessive sweating, even vomiting a couple of times. In the morning he looked like someone who had been swallowed up by a feral hungry beast and spat out immediately afterwards. But still, he decided to carry on. He would have slept afterwards.</p>
<p><em> I have duties </em>... He kept repeating himself.</p>
<p>Just outside his quarters, Cody was waiting for him. It wasn't unusual, he used to do it when they had a meeting together, but this time it was clearly different.</p>
<p>“Kix told me…” It was the first thing Cody said to him, and from the look on his face, he certainly wanted to know more...</p>
<p>“I'm fine, Cody. Trust me” He answered him quickly and started walking to the strategy room.</p>
<p>Cody looked at him for a moment, he looked like he was burning and had little drops of sweat on the sides of his head. No, he wasn't fine.</p>
<p>“You don't look good, Rex. Why didn't you come and talk to me?” Cody asked frankly while keeping up with his brother's pace.</p>
<p>“It's just stress. There's nothing to worry about. It would pass, as usual.” Rex tried to tone it down, forcing a smile.</p>
<p>“It's not like that. Kix told me you started having a fever days ago. Again, promise me you'll get some rest after this? Okay?” Cody pressed on.</p>
<p>“I am not a child, I know what I can do and what not” Rex replied visibly altered, stopping in his tracks and facing him.</p>
<p><em>He might be sick, but he didn't need his older brother to babysit him</em>.</p>
<p>“Kriffin' hell, I'm worried about you…” Cody reacted.</p>
<p>He was damn worried about his brother, Rex was a little younger than him so he felt he had to be a good example, the burden of being the big brother was on him, he was his ori'vod afterall. But he also knew he couldn't force him to do anything, he'd always been damn stubborn.</p>
<p>“We'll talk about it later…” Rex concluded, entering the main room first, Cody followed him.</p>
<p>Only they didn't because Rex passed out in the middle of the discussion about the next battle strategy. He was delirious and trembling when Cody knelt before him, terrified to see his helpless brother.</p>
<p>Rex was frightened of who knows what and feverish as he tried to push away anyone who came near him, eyes closed and shallow breathing.</p>
<p>Obi-Wan and Anakin, also caught by surprise at first, did everything they could to help and took action immediately.</p>
<p>“Call Kix now!” Anakin barked at a nearby trooper as he knelt beside Cody, while Obi-Wan hurried out to get help too.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Anakin asked promptly to the Marshal Commander.</p>
<p>“I don't know much, Sir. All I know is it's been days, even Kix warned him to slow down, after Umbara... well, he hasn't slept much since” Cody said. True to his words, he didn't know much but he knew his brother was sick and he was absolutely sure of that, even though that di'kut didn't want to talk to him.</p>
<p>“Since then? Why didn't he come to me... or to you, to talk? Why do you have to be so stubborn? Huh, Rex?” Anakin answered, his last words almost whispered. </p>
<p>“I think, as far as I know, he didn't want to let you down, Sir, after the last mission he was sure it was partly his fault, so he thought he had to make it up to you, somehow.” Cody said while looking at his brother still unconscious on the floor.</p>
<p>Rex was shaking a little and while both Cody and Anakin were trying to take off the top of his armor to give him more room to breathe, they tried to reassure him even though maybe he couldn't hear them.</p>
<p>“I knew it” Kix groaned as he entered the room followed by Obi-Wan “I knew I had to tie him down to the bed two days ago” He added as he made his way over to the other two.</p>
<p>“Sir, Cody.” Kix said once he approached them “Nice thought taking his armor off, but now I need you two to help me take him to the medbay and probably tie him up for real this time” He continued, instructing them on what to do next.</p>
<p>Cody and Anakin went into action immediately, lifting Rex's body and promptly following Kix.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once there, he was finally put on a cot and left in the capable hands of his medic.</p>
<p>“If I may, sir, I'd like to stay here until Rex wakes up.” Cody asked Anakin promptly, even though he wasn't his direct superior.</p>
<p>“Of course, you can, I'll inform Obi-Wan don't worry, but as soon as he wakes up, please let me know.” Anakin asked, visibly concerned.</p>
<p>“Will do, sir. Thank you, sir.” Cody answered, standing at attention.</p>
<p>In the following days, Cody didn't leave that room even to eat, and when Kix ordered him to rest, he refused.</p>
<p>….</p>
<p>“Get some rest, Cody. I assure you he'll be all right when you come back." Kix said one afternoon, entering the medbay for his usual checkups and finding the Commander half asleep on an uncomfortable chair.</p>
<p>“With all due respect, you're not my doctor and I'll only get some sleep when Rex wakes up” Cody replied with too much annoyance in his voice.</p>
<p>“All right, whatever. But if you change your mind, I've got some empty beds you could use... I mean…” Kix casually said as he continued his rounds with his other patients.</p>
<p>Cody was tired, yes, but he felt like he owed it to him, to Rex.</p>
<p>He wanted to be the first one to insult him as soon as he woke up. He'd never seen him this sick before, and it haunted him.</p>
<p>Rex woke up five days later, still light-headed with painkillers and a burning sense of unease. He tried to move but he felt tired and numb, he was aching everywhere and could barely see. He had restraints, that he could feel. Someone had tied him up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What in the karkin’ hell happened?” he said quietly at first.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then he saw Cody, asleep in a chair next to him. He tried to call him, but his voice was struggling to get out, so he waited and tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to sleep, he was just confused.</p>
<p>About thirty minutes went by, but Cody finally woke up. The first thing he did was to check on his little brother, finding him awake but barely conscious.</p>
<p>“Rex... Rex, how are you feeling? Can you hear me?” He tried to ask. He was bloody worried.</p>
<p>“I'm fine..“ It was the only thing Rex answered. His voice still hoarse but a little smile appeared on his face.</p>
<p>“Oh thank the Maker..” Cody relaxed but then added “And anyway, what the hell were you thinking, you could have died.” He said with a slight pinch of voice.  </p>
<p>“Codes...I don't think, I mean, i didn’t..” Rex tried to talk again... but damn it, he was getting tired already.</p>
<p>“Right, you didn't think... you reckless, inconsiderate son of a…” Cody raised his voice but then he stopped.</p>
<p>He didn't want to cry, after all, he was the big brother, but he was scared. </p>
<p>After all, since the incident and the mission that had cost both of them significant lives, the nightmares tortured him too, but he had to stay strong for everyone, it was his duty as Mashal Commander.</p>
<p>“Rex, I don't want to lose you...not after everything that happened…” He quietly added.</p>
<p>Rex looked up at him and for the first time, he saw his ori'vod scared, really scared. Cody had never been scared.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have..” He tried to talk again but he couldn't finish the sentence. He could feel the tears coming out and tried hard to keep from crying.</p>
<p>“Yeah, you shouldn’t have…” Cody said to him. “..I'll always be there for you, you know that, right?” He added as he moved closer to the bed where Rex was and hugged him as close as he could.</p>
<p>"Yes... I know," Admitted Rex, trapped in his brother's embrace. "Just... can you take these ridiculous things off me first?" He added.</p>
<p>Cody stepped back and they both looked at the restraints that Rex had on both wrists.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I'm sorry... actually it was your medic's idea” Cody answered, offering him an embarrassed smile. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Kix..” Rex groaned “I knew it”   </p>
<p>“Look, they were necessary, he wanted to make sure you didn't run off on him again” Cody informed him.</p>
<p>“Of course..” Rex sighed and said nothing more.</p>
<p>“I'll go get him, okay? So besides taking these off, we' ll see how you are. And then I'm off to inform Skywalker” Cody said again, taking the situation in hand, instinct kicking in.</p>
<p>"The General? Why?" Rex asked surprised.</p>
<p>Sure, Skywalker cared a lot about his men, but he didn't expect him to care. He had other things to think about at the moment.</p>
<p>"He made me promise to let him know when he woke up. Let me tell you, he was seriously worried." Cody told him.</p>
<p>For Cody, it was a fairly normal behaviour, but he understood Rex's shock, for the whole society they were nobody and few of them were treated like living beings. So when someone cared about them, at first they were always suspicious.</p>
<p>“Ah, don't worry about that now, I'll go get Kix, alright?” Cody added on the way out.</p>
<p>“Codes..“ Rex called him again when the other one was just outside the door.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” He replied worriedly.</p>
<p>“Thank you.” Rex said in a low voice...</p>
<p>“It is my duty, vod'ika “ He smiled at him and then rushed to call Kix.</p>
<p>Seeing Cody smile even for a bit was a sight that Rex wanted to remember forever, just like when they were cadets and everything was easy, just like before the war.</p>
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